Page 157 of Almost Midnight

“There are soldiers coming,” Malek said, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. “One of the scientists in there hit the alarm as soon as we showed up.”

All of them stared at one another, then at Malek.

“And you only thought to mention thisnow?”Morley snapped.

The tall seer shrugged. “How would it have helped, James?” Malek asked reasonably. “Everyone here is doing everything they can as quickly as possible already.”

Malek’s voice grew a touch more grim.

“We should get inside there as soon as possible, though,” he added.

“No shit,” Jordan muttered, rolling his eyes. “Jesus, how did you spooky freaks manage to stay alive this long, anyway?”

“It’s a good question,” Charlie muttered.

“Just get the fucking door open, someone,” Nick grumbled, annoyed with all of them. “I’d rather not get shot, or thrown out into that radioactive goop again, not now that we’ve gotten this far.”

Kit was back to staring at invisible numbers and lines as she tapped into the virtual interface. Morley was looking at an instrument panel to the right of the door. He frowned as he started hitting through keys, and Nick figured he was just taking stabs in the dark, trying any random combination he could think of.

Nick glanced at Malek and Tai again, only to find them obviously engaged in some kind of silent conversation with one another. He remembered those types of odd, silent, staring contests between seers, back and forths via telepathy that often got interspersed with even odder facial expressions and hand gestures.

It was the eyes that usually gave them away, especially if the conversation got emotional.

Tai and Malek didn’t have anything so obvious as that going on.

They both looked intensely concentrated.

Then Tai nodded, once, and gave a kind of half-shrug, as if to say, “It’s worth a try.”

She focused back on the glass.

Nick fought back a feeling of disbelief when he saw one of the scientists stirring. Nick’s jaw fell open for real when the man crawled stiffly up to his knees, then began kneel-walking towards a freestanding terminal of some kind, not far from the organic wall.

He wasn’t breathing.

Blood covered his cheeks, jaw, and neck in long streaks, and his eyes were filled with it. They were openly, but entirely unseeing. Nick watched incredulously as the scientist reached up, then fumbled his hand around on the top of the square panel.

Suddenly he understood.

Tai hadn’t brought him back to life.

She was manipulating the man’s corpse.

Nick was about to say something, maybe even to make a joke in extremely poor taste, when the wall suddenly began to hum.

Kit stepped back, as did Morley and Wynter.

Then the thick, transparent door slowly began to open.

CHAPTER35

THE DOOR

A shot explodedinto the glass wall, just inches from Wynter’s head.

Pieces of the organic sheered off, nicking her face and hands, and slicing at part of her neck. The scent of her blood rose without warning, extending Nick’s fangs.

Wynter screamed.

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